ASA Joins Scientific Organizations in Letter to Trump

The heads of 29 top U.S. scientific and higher-education organizations – including Nancy Kidd, ASA Executive Officer – wrote to President-elect Donald Trump on November 23, urging him to quickly appoint a science adviser.

Such a senior-level adviser would be able to assist the White House in “determining effective ways to use science and technology to address major national challenges,” the group noted. In their letter, the science-society CEOs, presidents, and executive directors also emphasized the value of science and technology to society. “The economic benefits of advancements in science, technology and innovation have been well documented, estimated by leading economists to have accounted for approximately half of U.S. economic growth over the last fifty years,” they wrote.